


Mock Duels and Cracked Pride

by shark_bitch



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Gen, Light Angst, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, accidental face reveal, dream gets his diddly darn mask broke lets see what happens, dunno what the fuck im doin lol, i have no idea how the fuck to tag things, ill add tags as i go, no beta we die like Tubbo at the festival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:33:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shark_bitch/pseuds/shark_bitch
Summary: Tommy challenges Dream to a friendly duel, what could go wrong?
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92





	1. Duel!

**Author's Note:**

> So I got bored and decided to write a whole ass fanfic just for the hell of it.
> 
> uhhh CW: blood and injury, scarring mentioned, swearing

“HEY BIG D, YOU DICK, COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN.” Tommy screeched, staring up at Dream, who was perched clumsily on a tree branch several feet above Tommy. Wheezing laughter could be heard from where Dream sat as he cackled at Tommy’s antics.

“Tommy please, just drop it already. He’s just teasing you, he said he was gonna give your bandana back eventually just stop shouting-” Tubbo tugged at Tommy’s sleeve repeatedly, prompting Tommy to turn and clasp both of Tubbo’s shoulders in his hands.

“Tubbo, big man, you know the great Tommyinnit can never back down from a fight. I mean look at him, he’s practically BEGGING me to duel him, the bitch!” Tommy shook Tubbo around for effect, and then swung around to point accusingly at the green-clad man who was still wheezing like a tea-kettle. “COME DOWN AND FIGHT ME, GREEN BITCH! I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STEAL MY STUFF!” Dream let out another cackle at that, and jumped out of the tree, landing squarely in front of Tommy.

“Alright, Tomathy,” Dream wheezed, and Tommy let out an indignant huff. “If a duel is what you want, a duel is what you’ll get.” Dream grinned behind his smiley face mask as he heard someone crash through the trees with a shout of “TOMMY WHAT THE FUCK?” Tommy’s devilish grin faltered, and he turned to meet his older brother with a slightly sheepish look on his face.

“Hullo Wil-” Tommy started as Tubbo chirped “Hi Wilbur!” at the same time. Tommy, however, was cut off by Wilbur striding right up to him and grabbing his shoulders.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? CHALLENGING DREAM TO A DUEL? HE’S GOING TO DESTROY YOU, TOMMY!” Wilbur shouted and Tommy flinched a bit.

“How the fuck did you even know where I was, man?” Tommy sputtered, despite his paling face. Wilbur glared at him.

“Tommy you’re loud as all hell, I could hear you from _L’manburg_ , which is SAYING something because you’re at LEAST a thousand blocks from the front gate.” Tommy glanced over at Tubbo as if to ask, ‘am I really that loud?’ to which Tubbo only shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Wilbur then rounded on Dream, letting go of Tommy who hurriedly went to interrogate Tubbo about his _perfectly fine volume_. Wilbur stalked directly up to Dream, pointing an accusatory finger at him. Dream just grinned underneath the mask and chuckled quietly to himself as Wilbur fumed.

“I swear to god, Dream, if you so much try to continue that duel tomorrow I’ll-”

“Wilbur, Wilbur, relax I’m gonna go easy on him.” Dream wheezed as Tommy let out a shrill ‘HEY’. “It’s just a little joke, we’ll make it into a fun little spar. No one gets hurt and no hard feelings afterwards.” Dream put his hands up in a placating gesture and backed up a few steps in an attempt to get Wilbur to calm down a little. Wilbur sighed and backed down.

“All right, fine. I suppose you can go through with it if you’re not fighting to kill each other.” He relented before turning to Tommy and Tubbo, who immediately ceased their rapid whispering. Wilbur glared at Tommy. “If either of you injure each other tomorrow,” he looked back at Dream again. “There’ll be hell to pay. Both of you.” Wilbur shot one last glance at Dream, giving him a quick, tired smile, before grabbing Tommy by the back of his shirt and hauling him away, presumably to lecture him more. Tubbo trailed behind as Tommy let out squawks of protest; leaving Dream alone in the clearing as he listened to the sound of the three bickering fade away into background noise. Dream snorted a little bit and turned to walk back towards the main part of the SMP.

“As if either of us are going to get seriously injured tomorrow.” he shook his head,  
smiling to himself. “Wilbur’s such a worrywart I swear-” Dream muttered as stretched his arms over his head, continuing on his route home.

\-------------

It wasn’t really a secret that Tommy liked to boast, and word had spread fairly quickly of the mock duel that was going to take place between Dream and the hot-headed teenager. That explained why there were more people there than just Tommy, Tubbo, and Wilbur at the spot where the ‘duel’ was to take place; but that didn’t explain why nearly the entire server had shown up. Tommy was standing triumphantly in the middle of the clearing he and Dream had agreed to duel in with a huge grin stretching across his face. From the looks of it, Wilbur had made him put iron armor on, as he was wearing a brand new chestplate and boots. Dream didn’t think that he’d need armor, seeing as he was only fighting Tommy and though Tommy was reckless, he was predictable in his movements when fighting. Upon entering the clearing, Dream adjusted his mask and made his way over to where Tommy was standing to interrogate him about the frankly large number of people surrounding the clearing.

“Notice the visitors?” Tommy smirked as Dream approached. “They’ve all come to watch me beat your neon green ass with my pogchamp fighting skills!”

“Naw, we’re here to watch ya getchur ass handed to ya by Dream.” Technoblade chuckled from where he was leaning against a nearby tree. Dream let out a snort. Techno, as always, was fully geared up in full netherite armour; the hilt of a sword gleaming dangerously in the sunlight as it peeked out from underneath his cloak. A few wisps of laughter could be heard floating throughout the clearing as Tommy bristled.

“OH FUCK OFF, TECHNOBLADE.” Tommy glowered at the piglin-hybrid. “I’M GOING TO WIN, NO MATTER WHAT YOU GUYS SAY.” Tommy puffed his chest out and looked pridefully over to where Tubbo was standing with WIlbur, Tubbo gave him a huge grin and double thumbs up while Wilbur just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“HEY DREAM!” Dream looked away from Tommy over to the source of the voice; which turned out to be Sapnap, who was leaning up against a tree along with George, Quackity, and Karl. Dream stuck his hand up in greeting as Sapnap nudged George with his elbow. “KICK HIS ASS, DUDE!” he called, laughing as George just rolled his eyes and waved back at Dream. Dream grinned underneath his mask and looked around to survey the rest of the people who’d gathered. Tubbo and Wilbur, of course, they were standing near Techno who was busy adjusting the golden crown resting atop his head. BadBoyHalo and Skeppy were sitting near George, Sapnap, Karl, and Quackity; Skeppy messing around with Bad’s tail, to the other’s annoyance. Apparently, Niki, Puffy and Sam had decided to show up as well, being curious about Tommy’s loud bragging. Niki smiled gently at Dream upon him noticing her standing at the edge of the clearing and waved at him, with Puffy and Sam following suit. Dream waved back, and then turned back to Tommy, who was busy shouting numerous profanities in Sapnap’s general direction. Partially muffled shouts of “LANGUAGE!” could be heard from where Bad was sitting, and Dream stifled a wheeze, choosing instead to walk up to Tommy and tap his shoulder. Tommy jumped a bit before whipping around to face Dream with a huge grin decorating his face.

“Ready to lose, green boy?” Tommy sneered, and Dream just chuckled.

“I’m ready to win.” He said, pulling the diamond axe off his back from where he had secured it earlier. Tommy’s grin stretched even wider as he drew the sword at his side. Dream tossed a quick glance over to where Wilbur was standing, and gave him a quick thumbs up. Wilbur threw a curt nod back in return and returned to watching Tommy.

“Alright,” Dream said, backing up a few paces, Tommy doing the same. “We start on three. Ready?” Tommy set his gaze on Dream, dropped into a fighting stance, and nodded. “Okay: one…” Dream adjusted his grip on the handle of his axe. “Two…” Tommy furrowed his brow in concentration. “Three!” Dream shouted, and they were off.

Things began smoothly with Sapnap, Quackity, and Karl hollering encouragement from the sidelines as Tommy and Dream lunged at each other with twin eagerness. Their weapons collided between them, sending a loud scraping noise towards the audience. Dream knocked Tommy’s sword back with a shove of his axe, and Tommy slid backwards a bit. Regaining his footing, Tommy lunged forward again, pulling his sword behind him to build up momentum. He let out a loud “HAH!” as he managed to swing his sword close enough to Dreams arm to tear his sleeve a bit. Dream just snickered and launched himself backwards, out of Tommy’s reach. Tommy stumbled a bit as the followthrough of his swing sent him off balance, but he regained his footing almost immediately and lunged for Dream again. This time, Dream deftly blocked the blow with the blade of his axe, the diamond weapons scraping against each other and showering sparks over the both of them. A shout of “WOO YEAH!! GET HIM TOMMY!!” Could be heard from Tubbo’s general direction and Tommy smirked as he jumped away from Dream. Dream lowered his stance and dashed forward, swinging his axe near Tommy’s legs, aiming to knock him off balance. Tommy, to his credit, noticed rather quickly, bringing the butt end of his sword down squarely on the small of the green-clad man’s back as he swept in. Dream let out a small cough as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Throwing himself sideways into a roll to avoid the incoming slice from Tommy’s sword, Dream shot a quick glance over to where Wilbur was standing, noting how his lanky frame was tense and his lips were drawn into a thin line. Dream hauled himself to his feet and swung around to block yet another swing from Tommy, who was charging directly at him shouting “YEAAAAH BITCH!” Dream slid his axe down the length of Tommy’s sword and shot his foot out towards Tommy’s shins as Tommy recovered his grip on the sword handle. Dream’s leg swept Tommy’s feet clean out from underneath him, and Tommy let out a loud grunt as he hit the ground and landed squarely on his back. Sapnap and George let out whoops of cheer and encouragement towards Dream. Dream hopped backwards a few paces as Tommy regained his footing and glared at him.

“Oh, c’mon now.” Dream cooed, grinning underneath his mask as Tommy glowered. “Try harder.” Tommy bristled and tightened his grip on the sword.

“You’re gonna regret asking me to try harder, big man.” Tommy gritted his teeth and started heading directly towards Dream. Dream readied himself for the attack, and surged forward to meet Tommy head on.

Dream was expecting Tommy to aim low, to copy the move he’d pulled on him earlier. What Dream wasn’t expecting was for Tommy to launch himself off the ground, aiming high. He also wasn’t expecting Tommy’s sword to come straight for his face, and Dream certainly wasn’t expecting a sharp stinging pain to come slicing across his nose, or for the cold prick of mid-morning air to follow it.

Dream skidded to a halt as Tommy shot past him, his face pale. Dream blinked as he felt warm blood begin to slide down his nose, the taste of iron starting to pool in his mouth. The clearing had gone from alive and bustling to dead silent in a matter of seconds. Dream dropped his axe, his vision moving in slow motion as his hands reached up to feel warm skin and hot, sticky blood where smooth, sanded wood should reside.

“....Dream?” someone asked, concern evident in the way their voice wavered, but Dream didn’t stick around long enough to find out who the voice belonged to. He turned his back on where the voice came from and darted straight into the trees. Digging an ender pearl out of one of his many pockets, Dream tossed it upward in a high arch, aiming to get as far away from the clearing as possible for the time being. He heard someone call after him, and the sound of multiple pairs of feet scuffling in a rush to get up and chase after him. Dream didn’t glance behind him even once as he ran, finally dissolving into a mist of purple particles, leaving only silence, shock, and confusion in his wake.


	2. Run?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream runs and Wilbur ponders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey another chapter out for the like, three of yall that have bookmarked this.
> 
> hope ya enjoy. :]
> 
> CW: Blood and Injury mention, Scarring mentioned.

Dream appeared in the middle of the forest with a pop, startling a nearby pig, which ran away squealing in panic. Dream paid it no mind and sank down to his knees with a groan. He pulled his hood off in one quick motion and ran his hands through his dusty-blond hair, making it stand on end. Dream glanced around at his surroundings, noting a small pond over to his right. He had popped into existence in a small clearing, filled with soft, blue flowers. The ground sloped down near the center of the clearing as if a shallow scoop of dirt had been gently lifted away by gentle hands, leaving a nice dip in the terrain. There were a few ferns and tufts of long grasses growing at the bases of oak and spruce trees, waving gently in the breeze. The air smelled like fresh grass and dirt, and Dream could hear the faint buzzing of bees nearby. Nothing seemed to be an immediate threat, so Dream sank down farther onto the ground, laying spread eagle on his back as blood trickled down to the earth from the cut on his nose. 

_ It’d probably be a good idea to assess the damage-  _ Dream thought to himself, as he twisted his head to glance at the small pond. Heaving himself to his feet, Dream made his way over to the pond. The shallow pool of water was surrounded by a few stalks of sugarcane and long grasses; the gentle breeze pushed light ripples across the surface of the water, distorting what was reflected in its depths. It was probably no more than thirteen or fourteen blocks wide, and maybe around three blocks deep near the center, but it was clear and still and would work well enough as a mirror. He crouched down near the water’s edge and peered into the glassy surface. He winced as his reflection stared back. The gash Tommy had left across his nose wasn’t very bad, it hadn’t cut deep and would heal fast; it was the rest of his face that made him wince. 

The burn scars that stretched across his face like hands, tugging his eyebrows down, making his eyelids droop, and pulling his lips to the left, revealing his teeth. The light freckles splattered across his nose like constellations doing nothing to hide the evidence of pain drawn like a map across his features. His murky green eyes, shining dully from behind his twisted appearance as he looked at the rippling reflection in the pond. 

Dream sighed and leaned back on his heels, not wanting to ponder his reflection any longer. Oh, how he longed to just stay in this clearing until his friends forgot about him, until he wouldn’t have to go back to their prying eyes and worried questions. His feet sank into the damp dirt as he breathed in and out, trying to figure out his course of action. 

Dream rummaged through his inventory, trying to remember if he had a spare mask anywhere, before recalling that he had left the spare in his enderchest, all the way back in the SMP. He groaned, and drew his hands down his face as he slid onto his back. If he wanted to cover his face again, he’d have to go back and face his friends sooner rather than later. Dream  _ much  _ would’ve preferred later, and he began to theorize ways he could slip into the nearest place he knew with an ender chest without being seen. Bringing up his communicator, Dream checked his coordinates. The nearest place with an ender chest would be the community house, meaning Dream would have to get past where he fought Tommy, (and where his friends were most likely still looking for him), to be able to get to an ender chest. Well. No time like the present to get going then, Dream mused, standing up and dusting himself off. He pulled a piece of bread out of his inventory and stuck it in his mouth as he oriented himself in the direction he needed to go. 

Dream walked through the lush forest in tense silence, listening for any sounds of other people as he ate his bread. So far, he had heard nothing, but he was nearing the greater SMP which meant he was bound to run into someone at some point. 

The bit of forest Dream was traversing through seemed to be fairly untouched by human hands, the lack of tree stumps and abundance of low-growing foliage was evidence that no-one had traveled through here recently. The only noises Dream heard were the soft sounds of leaves rustling in the breeze and the faint moos and oinks of cows and pigs that were undoubtedly grazing nearby. A particularly strong breeze shook a few leaves off a nearby tree and ruffled Dreams hair up. Dream shivered a bit, and tugged the hood of his green jacket up, readying himself to flee if needed. It was nearing the afternoon, which meant Dream needed to get back quickly if he wanted to be back at the SMP before nightfall. He picked up his pace as he heard a twig snap nearby. It was probably nothing, just a lone cow or a sheep wandering and looking for food, but it set his nerves on edge. He pulled his hood closer to his face and pulled the drawstrings tighter, before breaking into a light jog. He should definitely be back before nightfall. 

\---------

The whole clearing was in complete shock. Nobody spoke as a heavy silence fell over the group like a blanket.

Everybody looked around and exchanged glances, the silence becoming more suffocating every second. Sapnap’s face was pale and he was clinging to Karl’s hand like it was a lifeline, George didn’t look much better; his eyebrows were furrowed in a worried expression and his lips were drawn into a tight, tense, line. 

Bad was visibly shaking, all nine and a half feet of him trembling like a leaf as he clutched Skeppy’s hand. Tubbo and Tommy wore matching expressions of shock and confusion, their mouths slightly agape and their eyes glittering with unsaid concern. Techno looked to be rather indifferent, though his brow was knitted with worry, and his posture was tense. Wilbur stood stiffly near Tubbo, his entire body rigid with surprise and confusion, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. 

Niki held a death grip on Puffy’s shoulder, and her right hand covered her mouth as if she had been frozen mid-gasp. Puffy looked like she was about to cry, her eyes watering as she reached her hand up to place it atop of the hand Niki had gripping her shoulder. Sam’s long tufted tail flicked agitatedly back and forth as he looked at Puffy and Niki’s frozen figures with evident concern littering his gaze. Nobody dared say anything as a breeze sifted through the trees. 

Abruptly, Wilbur cleared his throat, making everyone jump and turn to look at him. Wilbur’s shoulders stiffened and he shifted his eyes around to look at everyone. 

“So….” he started. The words fell flat in the air, tapering off and drowning in the silence. Everyone shifted their weight uncomfortably, waiting for Wilbur to continue. Wilbur cleared his throat again, uncomfortable with the awkward tension coming to a head. 

“I… I think maybe we should go look for him.” Wilbur croaked, glancing at Sapnap, who looked as though he would fall over at the slightest hint of a breeze. 

“Yeah,” Bad managed to squeak out. “Before he ran, Dream looked absolutely terrified....” Sapnap nodded in agreement, clutching Karl’s hand tighter, making him wince slightly. 

“We should go after him.” Sapnap declared, his voice cracking. “I want to find out why he ran.” The silence settled again as everyone nodded, and shuffled around. 

Technoblade stood up, moving towards Wilbur; his towering figure casting a shadow over the brunette. Techno put a calloused hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, and squeezed. Wilbur visibly relaxed, and Techno cleared his throat. 

“WIlbur, Tommy, Tubbo and I will search in the direction Dream ender-pearled in.” He announced, and no one dared argue. Techno turned to Puffy, Niki and Sam. “You three, I want you to start heading back towards the SMP and see if you can find him if he shows up near there.” Sam nodded, and put a large hand on Nik’s shoulder. “Sapnap, George, Quackity, and Karl, you should head near L’manburg, but take the long way. See if Dream is trying to skirt around the edges of the territory.” Techno ordered, shifting his blood red gaze to the four. Karl nodded, and shook Sapnap’s hand comfortingly as Quackity came over to put a hand on his shoulder. 

Techno then turned to Bad and Skeppy, Bad looking like he was on the verge of falling over. “Bad, I want you and Skeppy to take Dream’s axe and broken mask back to his house, and see if you can fix it up. I want to return it to him.” Bad nodded, and smiled a bit, turning to look down at Skeppy. 

“If nobody finds him before nightfall, or if he doesn’t return before then, I want us all to meet at the community house so we can conduct a bigger search.” Everybody nodded at that. “Now, go.” Techno ordered, and they were off.  _ Let’s hope we can find him soon, _ Techno thought as he led Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo away from the clearing, Tubbo taking Tommy’s hand and swinging it as they walked. Tommy looked guilty, and didn’t share the same enthusiasm as Tubbo seemed to have for finding Dream. 

Wilbur walked close behind Tommy, gazing at him with concern in his eyes. Tommy looked nervous, as if he was worried either Wilbur or Dream would be angry with him once they found Dream. 

To be honest, Wilbur was slightly peeved at Tommy. Tommy had promised to be careful, to not get himself hurt during the mock-duel, and Dream had promised not to hurt Tommy; but Wilbur hadn’t expected Tommy to hurt  _ Dream  _ instead. 

Dream was practically untouchable, a skilled fighter, yet a great friend. To Wilbur’s knowledge, one of the only people to ever best Dream in battle was  _ Technoblade,  _ the  _ Blood God.  _ To say Wilbur was worried about Dream would be an understatement. Based on everyone’s reactions back in the clearing, it was plain to see that  _ nobody _ had seen Dream’s face before. 

Dream was notorious for not wanting his face to be seen, wearing his strange smiley face mask at all times. It made him look goofy, wearing a mask with a crudely drawn smiley-face adorning the front; but it also made him slightly more intimidating due to the fact that no one knew what he looked like. 

Tommy had tried to see Dream’s face numerous times in the past, often dragging Tubbo into his elaborate schemes to find a moment where Dream wasn’t wearing the mask. One such occurrence was when Dream, Wolbur, Tommy, Tubbo, and a few others were out attempting to find a forest mansion. Tommy had dragged Tubbo along with him into Dream’s tent while he was sleeping, attempting to catch him without the mask on. Dream apparently also slept with the damn thing on, and when Tommy had tried to pull it off, Dream had snapped awake and threatened to break his arm if he touched the mask again. 

The shriek Tommy had let out probably woke every living being within a five mile radius, and since then, Tommy had never tried to take Dream’s mask again. 

Seeing how he had reacted to Tommy trying to forcefully take the mask, nobody else dared to ask him about it, fearing the wrath of man with the wheezing laughter and deadly fighting skill. But now, the mask had been broken, and Dream’s face had been exposed for everyone to see. Nobody knew how to react. Dream’s greatest secret revealed for a majority of the server to see, without his permission. Wilbur could only guess how torn up Dream was over it. No wonder he had turned tail and ran.

  
But now, everyone had to find him. To tell him it was okay. To make sure  _ he  _ was okay. Wilbur just hoped they could find him soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope ta have another chapter out by tomorrow maybe, but that may or may not happen depending on what i do tomorrow
> 
> this is also like, my first time ever writing anything this long other than essays so like i hope im doin a good job! any feedback is welcome :]

**Author's Note:**

> hahaaaaa i left u guys on a bit of a cliffhanger huh?  
> sorry ill try n get a chapter out at some point if enough ppl comment on this or give it kudos or whatever i hope yalls have a nice day.


End file.
